Allergy Report: A Hallmark of Safe prescribing

Abstract

Documenting allergy is an important element of patient safety and quality clinical practice. Proper entries of allergy to drugs and unfavourable reactions will lessen the possible harm that can be avoided, improper prescriptions, and severe anaphylaxis incidents. Incomplete/unclear documentation of allergy is a persistent issue in healthcare systems across the globe in spite of its significance in the system. Drug charts and clinical notes too often do not differentiate between the real allergy reaction and the non-allergic adverse reaction causing confusion among the prescriibers and nurses. This is not only a breach of patient safety, but can also make unnecessary restrictions on the utilization of necessary drugs. There is an urgent need of standardized method to document unfamiliarity of allergy ratings, and indicating clearly the name of drug, type of response, severity, and date of onset. More so, the health workers need to be trained to understand the dissimilarity between intolerance and allergy, and to document the same information throughout medical records. When implemented in combination with diligent bedside practices, modern electronic prescribing systems can equip an organization with the means of decreasing ambiguity levels and facilitate inter-team communication accuracy. Finally, documenting allergies is a bureaucratic undertaking which is a lifesaving practice. A culture where a clear, precise and up to date recording of allergy is given importance would mean that the patient receives safe effective and personalized care.